Where Do We Go From Here?
by Snow Rose
Summary: This was just something that I wrote when I was EXTREMELY bored. It's just a story of Heero's capture and torture (and rescue). If I get enough support I may write a part two but until then...don't be too hard on me.
1. Default Chapter Title

Where Do We Go From Here?

Chapter #1: Heero Disappears…But Where?

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All right, I'm actually gonna try and write serious fic for once. My other attempts have turned out pretty bad but…there seems to be hope for this one. Oh, and one minor note before I begin, Heero lovers…don't hate me. Anyways! ^_^ This fic is about Heero, his mysterious disappearance, his finding, and his return to the other gundam pilots. It may not sound like anything to write a fan fic about but…you'll find that there's much more to the story than first meets the eye. 

My disclaimer is as follows: I have written several other fan fics by now. Within all of which, I have included a disclaimer clearly stating that I do NOT own the Gundam Wing characters. I'm getting kinda tired of repeating myself so, for my disclaimer this time…see my fic entitled Ice Cream. 

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::tup tup- tmp tmp:: Heero and Duo threaded their way cautiously down the shadowy maze of back alleys and sidewalks in an attempt to avoid the many OZ soldiers on patrol. They had been working together now for several months, receiving the same missions, using the same plans, and even going so far as to share the same safe house. And during that time, a higher level of understanding had grown between them. Not the passionate romance that the other pilots expected. But enough that they could live together and have enough tolerance towards each other that they weren't each plotting the other's death. And yet, they were finally being sent on different missions at last. To different corners of the world I might add. ::chic chic- chf chf:: They paused briefly as they reached the huge open expanse between the office buildings around them and the carrier hangars across the way. "Not a soul movin' about," Duo mused softly from where he stood behind Heero, "That seems a little odd." All Heero gave in response was a slight nod and then, he took off across the pavement. Behind him he heard Duo cursing, but that was all and he decided to ignore it. He was on his own mission now. Duo was no longer part of his plans. ::tmp tmp:: Now it was just his footsteps echoing hollowly in the silence between the two hangars. Strange as the sound was, Heero just continued along the side of the building, methodically searching for the door. Fumbling along in the dark, the thought occurred to Heero that he may have miscalculated and that he might be at the wrong building. But then, his hands finally found the door and the thought was lost as he turned the knob and was about to go in.Already starting to push the door open, Heero paused briefly, thinking that he had heard something. It had sounded like something shifting or the nervous motion of feet, but then it was gone. Straining his ears in the silence, he waited. Then, when he didn't hear the noise (or any noise for that matter) for a very long time, he finally dismissed it as a rat and proceeded to push the door open. 

Peering briefly into the shadows beyond the door, Heero deemed it safe and went on in. He had just barely crossed the threshold though before he was caught. Coming up silently behind him, one OZ soldier grabbed his arms and locked them behind his back. Then, before he could even lift his legs to kick the soldier, another came forward, pressing a sweet smelling clothe over his face. Surprised and frantic to escape, Heero struggled against his two capturers and did his best to hold his breath. But even the inhuman Heero Yuy needed to breath so, when he could stand it no longer and his lungs burned fiercely from need of air he was forced to take a breath. And yet, even that was enough to get him intoxicated. The drug was that strong and only seconds after his short intake of breath, his knees had turned to water and he was steadily losing hid grip on consciousness. "Heh…this was TOO easy," the soldier with the cloth commented cockily from somewhere above Heero's head. The other soldier never replied or…if he did, Heero never heard him. 

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The lights were too bright, it was cold, and he was lying on his side in a position that suggested that his hands and feet had been tied together. But where was he? Without making a sound or moving in the slightest, Heero opened his eyes and looked about him. There wasn't much to see though, considering that he found himself staring a blank, whitewashed wall. The floor on which he was lying was tile and just as white as the walls. And yet, something about all this didn't add up…the room smelled of old blood. "You awake yet?" a gruff voice asked from somewhere behind Heero. There was the sound of heavy footsteps and then, the next thing Heero knew, he was dangling by his collar, face to face with the biggest man he'd ever seen. Even Quatre's extraordinary guard, Rashid, couldn't compare. The man that was holding him must have been at least 7'7'' (judging by the fact that Heero's feet couldn't even reach the floor) and seemed to have no excess body fat on him anywhere whatsoever. And yet he was so muscular that he looked like he actually weighed twice as much as he should. And not only was he muscular but…intimidating. His cold, gray-green eyes didn't seem to miss much and his slightly upturned nose only added to the constant sneer that seemed to plague his face. And…he was bald. Heero took in all of this in a matter of seconds as the man held him a little higher and smiled, showing a mouth full of amazingly white teeth. "Hello there, Little One," the man said smugly, his smile deepening to something more like a smirk. "My name's Omar and for the next several…days you and I are going to become very good friends. Oh, and from now on, you should refer to me as God. For during this time, I will hold your very life in my hands." Omar chuckled upon saying this while Heero just growled, glaring sullenly at Omar. Noting this with a strange sort of delight, Omar grinned and carefully lowered Heero down to the ground. Then…then he did the unthinkable. He reached down and using both hands, broke the metal bonds holding Heero's hands and feet together. Not sure what to make it, Heero just stood there staring at him for a moment. 

Then in the next instant, his instincts set in and he leapt back away from Omar, eyes scanning the room for any exits. That was when he discovered the odd fact that there were no doors or windows in the room…just white walls! Apparently realizing what Heero was looking for, Omar broke out laughing, "Hah hah, you amuse me Little One. I have not had this much fun in a long time! You see," Omar explained shrugging and still shaking with laughter, "there are only two ways out of this room. One, you defeat me before I extract the necessary information from you. Or two…I punch your lights out and you wake up at the 'pearly white gates'. Either way, your chances of survival are VERY thin." Ignoring the very obvious threat in Omar's voice, Heero just asked calmly, "What information do you need from me?" Omar answered just as calmly, in a matter-of-fact tone, "Gundams, where are they, where are the other pilots, and where are their creators?" "That's confidential," Heero replied, the faintest hint of a smirk on his lips. Omar didn't reply at all to this. The fact that his haughty smile left his face and the preparatory fighting position he took were answer enough. "Aye then, I didn't think I'd have the answers from you THAT easily. Just try and make it interesting for me please…before you die," Omar said coldly. Then, with no more warning than that, Omar charged Heero, ramming his gigantic fist into Heero's stomach. Unprepared and unprotected, Heero took the full force of the blow head on, flying backwards into the wall. Hitting it with a heavy sounding ::thud:: Heero slid slowly down it to slump, seeing stars, on the floor. "All right Little One," Omar said coldly from his position above Heero's head, "Care to answer my question now?" Heero, still disoriented and shaking from the force of the previous blow, hardly even heard Omar's question (much less understood what he meant). Shaking his head in an attempt to clear it, Heero paused briefly and looked up at Omar. It was then that he realized his mistake. Omar glared down at him angrily, thinking that the shake of Heero's head had been a "no". "Fine," Omar said in a deadly calm voice then, quite suddenly, he delivered a swift kick to Heero's side, sending him sprawling. "Lesson one," Omar continued in the same deadly tone, "you get up no matter what. I kick you down, you get right back up, you hear? I punch you in the gut and you go flyin', you get right back up." Shaking uncontrollably now, all Heero could do was nod and stumble back up to his feet. Omar was grinning again. "Good, very good," Omar commented sarcastically as he casually slid a pair of special gloves from pocket, "Now answer my question!" "I told you," Heero replied, bracing himself against the wall, "that's confidential." Omar snorted, "Confidential huh?" He was still smiling as he proceeded to slide the gloves on. They were cruel black things that cut off a little bit beyond the knuckles and had a sharp ridge of bronze bumps running along the edges of the fist. Looking them over and adjusting them for a moment, Omar finally seemed satisfied. Then, with the suddenness he seemed to favor, he charged Heero again, fist raised. This time though Heero was a little better prepared than last time and with one hand he vaulted over Omar's shoulders. Forced by his momentum , Omar completed his charge, leaving a huge dent in the whitewashed wall. Growling, he turned around and was about to rush Heero again when he received a powerful kick to the face. Agilely, Heero leapt back while the force of his kick sent Omar stumbling back against the wall. 

Neither of them said a word as they just stood there, glaring at each other and sizing up what the other was most likely to do next. Then, by some unknown signal, they came at each other again. Omar, acting like a bull on the rampage, charged Heero once again, fists out, ready to pin him against the wall. Steadily regaining his composure and accuracy, Heero ducked under Omar as he completed his charge (leaving twin dents in the wall) and swung his own fist up into Omar's unprotected abdomen. Gasping from the sudden pain, Omar nearly went to his knees as Heero vaulted over his shoulders again and retreated to one of the far corners of the room. Unfortunately, Omar was not about to be felled that easily and was back on his feet in mere seconds and charging Heero again. Already prepared, Heero squatted down and got himself ready to pull the same duck, punch, and retreat maneuver once again. But at the very last possible second, Omar pulled his fists back and brought his knee up, catching Heero right in the face. The blow hit Heero with just a little below the amount of force it would have taken to break his neck and sent him sprawling anyway. Straightening, Omar brushed himself off and glanced briefly down at the stunned Heero, looking for all the world as though Heero had never hit him. "So, Little One?" he asked, his voice still deadly calm, "Will you answer my questions now?" Without bothering to answer, Heero just glared back up at him and Omar's face darkened with a forbidding frown. "Get UP!" he snarled, hanging like a sinister shadow above where Heero lay. Hoping to avoid any more pain for the moment, Heero obeyed, staggering back to his feet, a thin trickle of blood dribbling down his cheek. "Good," was all Omar said, the frown still furrowing his brows. "NOW…answer my questions!" The shout reverberated noisily off the walls and Heero winced visibly at the emotional force behind it. "What do I do!?" he worried frantically to himself, "I…I just CAN'T take another blow like that! Not without breaking down and giving him his answers…What do I do!?" Heero, having still not reached a decision, just swallowed hard and shook his head. With out a word, Omar gave Heero his response via one of his special black gloves. Backhanding Heero into the wall, Omar watched with a fierce pleasure as Heero fell and then stumbled back up to his feet again. Looking weary, battered, and in every sense, beaten up, Heero just glared defiantly up at Omar through his sweat soaked, brown locks. "My, my, what is that nasty look, Little One?" Omar quipped in a sarcastic tone as Heero continued glaring. Seeing that he couldn't bait Heero into talking, Omar frowned and with an angry snarl, backhanded him to the ground once again. "I'll ask you this only ONCE more," Omar growled as Heero got back up to his feet, "Where are the gundams!?" Mind still racing for an escape plan, Heero didn't reply and Omar didn't say a thing. Then, before Heero could blink, Omar was charging him in an angry rage, landing one painful blow after another, until all Heero knew was pain. He couldn't even get a chance to block before Omar had knocked him down and then, was forced back to his feet to be knocked down again. Until one time, Heero just didn't get back up. He just physically, couldn't. He was that spent. "Get UP!" Omar snarled, stalking over to where he lay and glowering down at him. All Heero could do was shake his head weakly and gasp, "Can't," from around his swollen, bloodied lips. " Like bloody HELL you CAN'T!" Omar roared, dropping to his knees and grabbing Heero's throat. Gasping for breath against Omar's tightening grip, Heero was positive that this time Omar really WAS going to kill him. That was until a small door sized section of one of the walls parted and a figure dressed all in white stepped through. "Let go of him, Omar!" the figure ordered sternly, crossing its arms over its chest. Heero would have thought it was an angel except for what it said next, "We'll have our answers all in due time. For now, let him live." In response, Omar released Heero's throat and stood, breathing hard with restrained anger. "Should I drug him or should we move right into 'Round 2'?" Omar asked, turning to glare down at Heero, a heated anger still blazing in his eyes. The figure in white considered this for a moment and then answered simply, "Drug him."

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This time Heero came back to himself a lot slower than last time. Which didn't seem odd at all considering the powerful narcotic they'd given him before he'd passed out. Looking about himself once again, Heero was relieved (to a certain extent) that the scenery had changed. The lighting was dimmer with only one lamp in the entire room and it was a little warmer even though something felt…different. Trying to put his finger on the difference, Heero just happened to glance down at himself and realized with a start just what was wrong. It appeared that as he'd slept, he'd been stripped of everything except his underwear and had been covered in a series of tiny electrodes taped to his skin. Add to that the fact that there was a needle embedded in his right arm that was slowly feeding a strange substance into it and Heero could tell without a doubt that his torture was about to be prolonged. As if to confirm this, a slightly familiar voice from beyond his field of vision asked softly, "So, what did you give him?" In response, another voice answered, "It's something that Omar brought with him. He swears that it's a special drug with a double ability." "That being…" the other voice asked. "He says that it not only loosens your victims tongue AND sensitizes their nerves as well. That means that we won't have to use much electricity before we get our answers," the second voice answered. Then, there was a pause where the owner of the first voice must have nodded and then, nothing. Waiting for something else to happen, Heero considered what the voices had said. And for the first time in a VERY long time Heero was stirred by a real flush of terror. Not so much from the pain to come (and the pain he'd already suffered), but the probability that he would reveal the secrets of the gundams. "They're right," he fretted silently to himself, "it WON'T must electricity to get me to tell…And how can I stop myself!? I certainly don't have enough strength to escape from…THIS! So what now!?" As if his dark and forbidding thoughts had called them forward, his newest pair of torturers appeared above him without a sound. Both were wearing identical lab coats and both were about identical in looks as well. As the interrogation was about to begin, the figure off to his right reached over and adjusted the flow of drug into Heero's arm. Deigning to hold off pain for as long as he could, Heero decided that his best plan would be to answer as many questions as he had to. "Where were you headed when you were caught by the soldiers?" the owner of the first voice, on his left asked without emotion. "Europe," Heero answered softly. "Were you meeting another pilot?" "No." "Then what were you doing?" the owner of the second voice asked, increasing the amount of drug once again. By now, Heero could tell that the drug was working. He hadn't meant to tell them where he was headed…not the real location anyway. Swallowing hard, Heero did his best to keep a grip on himself and at the same time keep down his rising nausea born from fear. "I…I was on a mission to infiltrate an OZ base and…steal information," Heero said hastily, hoping they didn't notice that he was partially lying. "What kind of information?" asked the owner of the first voice. "Just…information," Heero answered, unable to come up with a sufficient lie in time. He hadn't wanted to tell them that the information had really been profiles on the gundam pilots. But this time, his answer wasn't enough and the first person turned and nodded to someone standing in the shadows hugging the back wall. 

"Throw the switch, Omar," the second person ordered, without turning to look away from Heero. Wondering what the switch was going to do, Heero didn't have to wait more than five seconds before he found out. It hit him with the full force of a train while burning along every vein in his body, leaving him gasping for breath when it ended. "And that's only level one," Omar's voice chuckled from his spot in the shadows. Clearing his throat, the first person ignored Omar's comment and went on with his questions, "What information?" Still breathing heavily, Heero answered slowly, "Information on…OZ's plans…for the future." "Were you planning on meeting another pilot afterwards?" the second person asked and Heero shook his head in a negative, "But do you know where the other pilots are?" "I…can't tell you," Heero said softly, mentally bracing himself for the pain that was undoubtedly imminent. As expected, the person to his right turned and nodded to Omar once again. And once again the pain surged through him until every nerve in his body screamed out in agony, burned raw by the pure electricity. When it cut off at last, tiny wisps of smoke were already rising from the electrodes taped to his skin and the room smelling strongly of burned flesh. "Insolence will NOT be tolerated," the first person informed him coldly as Heero lay there gasping in pain. "Now," the first person continued in the same cold tone, "Do you know where the other pilots are…or their gundams?" Heero just shook his head stubbornly, stupid as the move was. This time, he didn't even get a chance to brace himself. There was a loud ::click:: in the background and then there was only pain. It scoured his freshly sensitized nerves and poured through him until he felt like living fire. And it lasted much longer this time as well so that when it ended at last, Heero was fading in and out of consciousness, nothing but an aching mass of pain. This was it. He knew it. As his own screams continued ringing in his ears and still burned with the fiery pain, he knew. This would be the last time he could resist. One more shock and he would completely lose his grip on his mind and thus his ability to hold in the secrets of the gundams. Delirious and weary beyond belief, Heero opened his eyes weakly and looked up at the first person, beseeching release. Instead, the man's cold black eyes just glared down at Heero, smothering his plea. "I will ask you once more, boy," the man said, still glaring, "Where are the other gundams and their pilots?" He never knew how he did it, but somehow Heero managed to hold his tongue and remain silent. Perhaps it was because he bit his lip…until it bled. Without another word, the first person just nodded once and Heero closed his eyes. There was a pause, which to Heero seemed to drag on for years as his throat closed and a single tear, the first tear he had cried in a VERY long time, ran down his cheek. Then, in the next heartbeat, a shock such as which he'd never felt flooded through him, blowing every defense he had and shattering his control. The pain was so extreme it couldn't even be described…and it sent him screaming into oblivion. 

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Cursing profoundly under his breath (and in several languages as well) Duo made his way down the hall. Slamming the butt of his gun down hard, another OZ soldier fell unconscious at his feet. He had received an e-mail only two days ago from Professor G. with a few altercations to his mission. One of which was that he was to make a side trip to Colony 196-A to rescue someone who was "vitally important to their winning the war." And that was all the professor could tell him. "Fat lot of good this does me," Duo complained mentally, taking out another pair of guards, "I don't even know WHO I'm rescuing and…let's see…one…two…three halls down….four doors over aaannnnd…HERE! This is it. Here goes nothing!" Taking his gun once again, Duo managed to break the lock on the door and after ramming it with his shoulder a few times, got it open. Staggering through under the force of his own momentum, Duo caught himself and then, stood there blinking for several seconds getting used to the light change. As far as he could tell, it was a cold, dark cell of a room and didn't even appear to have anyone in it. "Great, great, just great!" he growled softly, "This may not even be the right room…better go back…" Heading for the door, Duo was just about to leave when suddenly, he heard it. From off in the farthest corner of the room…someone moaned. Stepping through the door once again and squinting into the shadows, Duo finally found where the person was lying. And from the look of the crumpled, torn up figure, it was a wonder the poor sot was even alive. "Geez pal," Duo said softly as he came over and kneeled beside the prone body, "somebody really roughed you up GOOD! But I wonder how they…" Duo trailed off suddenly as he realized that there was something vaguely familiar about this person. Something about the shape of its body…the way it was dressed…just…something. Then, it clicked. 

"Heero!" Duo cried in disbelief, gently shaking the other boy's shoulder. Not really responding, Heero moaned again deep down in his chest and Duo pulled his hand back. Looking down at it, he was horrified when it came away bloody. "Good LORD, Heero," Duo whispered harshly, looking down the length of Heero's body. It seemed as though he was nothing more than a mass of steadily purpling bruises, very severe burns, and gashes. "Good Lord," Duo repeated softly, still shocked at seeing his erstwhile partner so…so…beaten up. It was while he was sitting there just staring at him that Heero woke a little, looking up at Duo through drug hazed eyes. "Who's iss?" he asked, the drugs slurring his speak. "It's Duo, Heero!" Duo answered, surprised once again that Heero (looking as bad as he was) could speak. "Duo?" Heero asked, trying to sift through the pain and fear that were his memories, for the name. "Come on, Heero," Duo coaxed softly, gently laying hid hand on the other boy's shoulder. When the other boy only winced slightly, Duo continued, "We worked together before…before this happened. You know, on missions. And even stayed together. You remember, don't you Heero?" The other boy just stared at him blankly and Duo was about to give up when suddenly, recognition registered on Heero's face. "Duo? Wha-what ar u doin' here?" Heero asked, a little more sense returning to his eyes. "I came to rescue you," Duo answered, concern showing in the tone of his voice. "No…no. I ment, wha ar you doin' here. I thought u wer headed on yer own mission," Heero answered, as Duo started to help him up slowly into a sitting position. "Yeah, I was," Duo answered, "But then I got asked to come here to this colony and rescue you." "Colny?" Heero asked, blinking groggily. "Of course," Duo answered, confused as to why Heero didn't know where he was, "You're in space, Heero. Didn't you know that?" Heero never got the chance to reply as a gasp of pain cut him off. Duo had just helped him to his feet, and in the process had hit an extremely sore spot on his back. 

"Oops…here let me just slid my arm under yours here and…there. Let's get you out of here to somewhere safe," Duo said, putting his arm under Heero's and helping the other boy stagger slowly to the door. By the time they had reached it and were out in the hallway, Heero was panting from the pain cutting through his drug haze and was starting to lose his grip on consciousness. "Come on, Heero," Duo encouraged him softly, "You can't quit now. Please, just stay awake a little longer. We'll get out of here, you'll see." Shaking himself awake again, Heero nodded weakly and put a little more effort into walking. It was slow going with Duo having to half-drag Heero most of the way, but eventually they made it. Past the twisting maze of corridors and halls, it ended up that there was a small docking bay, which was where Duo had been headed all along. Slamming his fist down on the door lock, Duo had just climbed into the cockpit of Deathscythe when trouble arrived. The sounds of the door opening had attracted several OZ soldiers and it was all Duo could do to hastily pull Heero into the cockpit with him before they started shooting. Cursing noisily, Duo pushed a single lever, slamming Deathscythe's cockpit closed just as the first bullets began flying. They bounced uselessly off the gundanium of Deathscythe's body and Duo ignored them, pushing levers and flipping switches, bringing Deathscythe's engines to life. Moments later, Deathscythe was winging out of the bay and into open space while the soldiers scrambled to close the open door before getting sucked out into the vacuum of space. "Now, let's see," Duo muttered softly, reaching over Heero's head to push a few more switches and punch in a series of codes. Responding to the commands, Deathscythe's speed increased a little more and it started making a beeline straight for Earth. Content that that was taken care of, Duo moved from tending to his gundam to tending to Heero. Sliding back as far as he could in his chair, he pulled Heero up a little higher in his lap and tried to get Heero into the most comfortable position possible. Satisfied with that, Duo reached over and pushed a single red button located slightly above his head. Moments later, both warmth and softly playing music flooded the cockpit of Deathscythe and Duo leaned back in his chair, sighing. Heero, who had been shivering slightly up until then, finally relaxed. "Heh," Duo joked softly, squirming just a little in the chair under Heero's weight, "And you said that these were just useless modifications. And to think that Wu Fei would call me weak for having them and now…" Duo trailed off in his familiar manner, listing off any number of personal offenders and Heero sighed. "Duo," he said softly, cutting Duo's babble short. "Sorry, Duo," Heero mumbled softly, head falling against Duo's chest, "can't….stay awake…anymore…" Heero trailed off, finally falling into the warm darkness's open arms, Duo quietly stroking his hair.

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Oooo, not exactly how I wanted to end the fic. But anyway, I think it turned out okay. Yes, it turned a little gay at the end but with Heero and Duo…how can you help yourself?! They're just so cute! ^_^ Anyways, I have a whole rack of ideas for a second one already. I'm just wondering what should happen. When Heero wakes up I mean. Should he be…handicapped? Should everything return to normal? Or should Heero have to face Omar and his tormentors again? I'm gonna leave it up to you guys since I can't seem to decided. So, if you liked it (or not) go ahead and leave me your thoughts, comments, and suggestions. I'm always open to criticism. 


	2. Default Chapter Title

# Where Do We Go From Here 

## Chapter #2: Affection, Action, and…Death?

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Wow, I'm speechless (well, obviously I'm not, but anyways). I got a whole bunch of reviews for the first chapter. I'm surprised. I just wrote that while I was bored and here I get more reviews for it than any other fic thus far. I hate to repeat myself but…wow. Either way, here's part two for all those nice people who read the first in the series and gave me so many helpful suggestions for this. I think I finally decided what should happen and how it should end (thank God). And so, without any other chatter from me, I give you: Where Do We Go From Here (chapter#2).

As far as my disclaimer, you could go back and look at the first fic or…you could use common sense and realize that if I owned the GW characters, I wouldn't be on FanFiction.net writing about them. ^_^ I'd be making movies about them!

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There was nothing but darkness. The cold, uncaring void of darkness into which he had fallen where the pain of his memories couldn't hurt him. And totally alone…or so he thought. For in the next instant, a single shaft of light appeared behind him and he spun about to face it. Illuminated by the light, a figure dressed all in white stood there, not moving and not saying a word. It was a figure that he knew all too well. Cold, calm, and calculating WuFei looked up, turning his fierce black eyes to glare at Heero. "You're a disgrace, Yuy," he said softly but with obvious disgust, "You've handed our secrets over to the enemy because of your weakness!" "But I…the drugs…and the…the…" Heero argued, feeling the full weight of all his shame descending on his shoulders. "Don't give me your excuses weakling," WuFei growled, the light above him fading until Heero was left alone in the darkness once again. "I…I couldn't…I…I'm sorry," Heero whispered, dropping to his knees under the horrible truth that he HAD told OZ the secrets of the gundams. Caught up in this shame and inner torment, Heero hardly even noticed as another shaft of light appeared only inches from his nose. It was only when a gentle hand came to rest on his shoulder that he found himself looking up into Duo's concerned face. "H-Heero?" Duo asked, concern and perhaps a little confusion layering his voice, "Heero…what have you done?" "I…I, Duo please…you've gotta…you've gotta believe me!" Heero cried hopelessly, as he stared up into Duo's troubled, purple eyes. "What has he done now, Duo?" Quatre asked, walking out of the shadows into the light at Duo's left. "I would like to know as well," Trowa agreed softly, coming up on Duo's right. "He's…he's told Them about us…all our secrets," Duo answered, the concern leaving his voice and disgust and disbelief taking it's place. "But…but I didn't mean to!" Heero pleaded, begging his friends to understand. But they didn't. As silent tears ran down his cheeks, mirrors of his innermost feelings, the other pilots turned away from him and walked off into the darkness. " Guys…please. With the pain…the drugs…I…I couldn't! Guys, you have to believe me!" he cried at their retreating backs. "Guys…believe me…" he whispered softly, as if to himself as he lowered his head in defeat. And as the other pilots footsteps faded away into the distance and the light about himfaded away to nothing…he woke up.

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A cold, bleak rain was falling from an equally bleak, gray sky as Duo Maxwell stood there watching it from his window. The weather seemed quite fitting, given the circumstances. By some strange miracle, Duo had managed to bring Heero back safely, got his wounds treated, and all in all, got Heero taken care of. Then, after they had gotten Heero settled in Quatre's Arabian mansion, Heero's medical reports arrived via the normal mail system. They assured the pilots that everything had been taken care of, but they also mentioned something else. Off in the corner of the page, there was a list of all the possible tortures Heero could have been through (as requested by Quatre) and a note that said Heero was lucky to have survived. But the pilots knew better. Maybe a NORMAL person would have barely survived, but with Heero Yuy, death never seemed like a possibility. "Well, we've got that list of possible tortures on Heero's med reports," Quatre said softly from his seat behind Duo, "but we still don't have the specifics. We still don't know what really happened." "And more importantly, what he told OZ about us," Duo commented bluntly as he turned and put his back against the window. "Yes, that's true," Quatre agreed, looking over towards Duo. "Well then the best way to get the answers would be to ask Heero, wouldn't it?" Trowa asked in his typical monotone from his position in the far corner, with his back to the wall. In response, Duo shook his head, "We need the answers soon…and I don't even think that Heero's conscious yet. Much less, ready to face those memories so soon." "I agree," Quatre said, nodding, "We may not know what happened to him, but I believe it's safe to assume that it was BAD. And I don't want to drag Heero back into it if it can be helped. But then the question still stands…how do we find the answers?" Duo shook his head and shrugged while Trowa closed his eyes and held his peace. A silence followed as each of the pilots went through their mental list of options and the possible consequences those actions would bring. Then, quite suddenly, Duo pushed away from the window and made his way to the door. "Wait, Duo!" Quatre cried, getting to his feet quickly, "Where are you going?" Without looking back Duo opened the door and answered simply, "I'm going to go check on Heero. And…try to find some of the answers." "But, Duo! You can't! Heero can't possibly be ready for the emotional stress! Duo!" Quatre cried, rushing to the door to stop him. But it was too late. Duo had already left and was too far for any of them to stop him. 

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Footsteps muffled by the thick carpeting, Duo made his way down the twisting maze of halls to Heero's room. Pausing briefly at the door to listen, Duo didn't hear a sound on the other side and so, proceeded to open the door and go in. It was a room similar in content to any other room on this level of the manor. White or tan walls and carpets of earth colors or deep shades of green, sparsely furnished, and plain. But they were still nice rooms. Stepping through the door and closing it silently behind him, Duo entered as quietly as he could and looked around. Something was wrong…then, he saw it. Or rather, heard it. The semi-compact machine that was sitting beside Heero's bed, meant to monitor his heart rate…was silent. Which made perfect sense considering that Heero wasn't in his bed. Instead, the heart monitor and the oxygen mask that had been regulating Heero's breathing were lying on the sheets, with no sign of the thick cover blanket. So…where was Heero? Looking around the room frantically and finding no sign of him, Duo was just about to yell for the others when (quite to his relief) he found Heero. He had been seated on a tiny wall-like outcropping surrounding the window in the far left corner, chin resting on his arms, arms resting on his knees, and knees pulled up to his chest. He wasn't wearing much though. Just a plain pair of long pants (donated by Quatre) and the cover blanket from his bed wrapped protectively about his bare shoulders as he sat watching the rain. Calming his pounding heart, Duo walked cautiously over to where Heero was sitting and waited. When the other boy neither greeted him nor even acknowledged his presence, Duo reached up and tentatively touched his shoulder. Starting as if from sleep, Heero jumped at the slight touch and turned to glare down at Duo. "Yes, Duo?" he asked, all hint of the drugs slurring his speech, gone. His expression was impassive and just as stony as ever. But Duo couldn't miss the conflicting emotions that leaked through Heero's customary mask of stone and so went on to ask, "Are you all right, Heero?" In response, the other boy just nodded and then, turned back to the window, watching the rainfall as he answered softly, "I'm fine." Readjusting the blanket, Heero seemed to be doing his best to ignore Duo. But Duo didn't believe him and his "I'm fine." There was a lot Heero hadn't told Duo and he certainly wasn't "just fine"! "Uh, are you sure?" Duo asked, silently beseeching Heero to at least LOOK at him. But Heero didn't look at him or even give him any answer other than a shrug. "Come on, Heero," Duo coaxed softly, coming around so that he was facing Heero, "I want to know what happened. I want to help you." "With what?!" Heero growled, annoyance and anger heating his voice. But Duo wasn't intimidated. Heero didn't have a weapon this time and even though his voice spoke of anger at being disturbed, his eyes were telling a different story. Deep down in those intense cobalt eyes, beneath the steel and stone, hid a terrible shame and a deeply buried sorrow. So, why was he hiding it? Duo had to know. "I want to know what happened so…so I can help you…deal with the pain," Duo answered truthfully, hoping he didn't sound too lame. "I don't need any help, Duo," Heero answered coldly, pulling the blanket up tighter about himself, "Thank you for saving me…but I don't need your help." Duo couldn't believe it! "But…but Heero! With all that pain and the…the drugs intensifying it…how could you!? You're inhuman, Heero! No one could go through all that and come out the same as they were before! NO ONE!" To this, Heero didn't reply and finally, after several minutes, Duo gave up and started to leave. Just as he reached the door though, Heero spoke up. Speaking softly, as if to himself, Heero whispered, "I don't need any help…and I will fix what I have done…I will correct my mistake." What those mistakes were, Duo had no idea, but he figured he would know soon enough. All in due time, all in due time.

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"Heh-heh, we've finally caught every one of them! From now on, nothing will stand in OZ's way!" Omar chuckled from his hunched over position before a central control board. Below him, the four gundam pilots lay trapped inside a glass roofed chamber. "There's only four of them though," Heero mused mentally to himself, "why isn't Omar worried about me. I AM a gundam pilot after all." Heero continued to wonder over this in his spot up in the rafters until Omar answered it for him. Looking down at the helpless pilots, Omar continued his ranting, "One down, four to go. That other one went down far too easily…but he was weak anyway. These new ones though…" Omar continued on as Heero just sat there listening…not feeling. He couldn't believe it…he was dead! But he wasn't…cause how else could he be sitting there!? So what was he!? Heero didn't have much more of a chance to wonder about it after that as Omar began flipping switches and pulling levers on the control panel below him. He was doing it in a rather comical fashion as well, but Heero didn't find it very funny. He knew what the chamber was that the other pilots were trapped in. It was one of OZ's unique torture chambers where the executioner could watch from above and make sure that no one escaped. And the others were trapped inside it! Standing up, preparing to jump down and attempt to save the others, Heero was quite surprised to find that he couldn't move. It was as if he was chained to the spot as Omar began pulling the final lever and a steam-like gas began flooding the pilots' chamber. Obviously aware of their peril, the others intensified their frantic search for an escape and tried their best not to breathe. But as the minutes dragged on, one by one, they all gave up. Collapsing to the ground or leaning heavily on the walls, the other pilots did all they could to fight off the effects of the gas and stay on their feet. But they were fighting a loosing battle…and there was nothing Heero could do! Looking smug and quite confident, Omar leaned over the board to look down at his helpless victims. "Feh, how pathetic you are," he mused with a grin, "and all because HE sold you out." "Stop your lies right there!" Quatre cried from his prone position on the floor. Gasping from the gas, Duo picked up from where Quatre left off, shouting angrily, "Heero would never tell you anything! He's far too strong!" Across from Duo, back to the wall and panting, WuFei piped up saying, "There are many who are weak in this world and Yuy is NOT counted among them!" Trowa just nodded weakly. "Believe what you want," Omar replied haughtily, "but I know the truth. And now…I think it's time we finished this." Flipping a final switch, Omar watched smugly as the gas changed from gray to a pale blue. His smug look then changed to a grin and then, a full-fledged malicious smile as their screams began. Watching as the others shivered and shook on the floor, Heero realized that he recognized the gas. It was a brand new kind of muscle contractive that could (given the right dose) kill a person by having their body rip itself apart. As the other pilots screams filled the air, Heero dropped to his knees under the horrible knowledge that he was responsible. It was because of him that they were trapped down there, dying down there. AS each cry filled his ears and ripped his tattered soul to shreds once again, Heero curled in on himself, wrapping his arms around his shoulders as his nails dug painfully into his arms. And then, just when he thought that it could get no worse, Duo's voice cried out over the others, "HEEEEERRRRROOO!"

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"Heero, Heero! Come on! Stop it!" Duo shouted, frantically trying to keep Heero from curling up on himself and tearing his arms up. The other boy wasn't responding though, apparently lost in some terrible dream. None of the others were there to help either considering that Duo was the closest to Heero's room when he'd heard him crying out. "Heero, Heero! Wake up, HEERO!" Duo cried, shaking Heero's shoulders as hard as he could. Suddenly, Heero's eyes shot open and his body stopped struggling against Duo's iron grip. Staring up into Duo's intense violet eyes, Heero's previous dream returned to him with a vengeance. Images of Duo glaring down at him in disgust, of the others turning their backs on him and walking away, and of his horrible, horrible shame that he was holding within him. Shuddering violently with restrained emotion, Heero collapsed into Duo's arms, clinging to the other boy like he was a life preserver. Startled, all Duo could do was stare at Heero as he clung to him, tears the like of which he'd never shed before streaming down his cheeks. "H-Heero?" Duo asked, half-heartedly trying to pull Heero off him. "I'm sorry, so sorry!" Heero cried, his words muffled in Duo's shirt. "Sorry for what? You haven't done anything!" Duo assured him, reaching up and placing a hand on Heero's shoulder. "YES, I HAVE!" Heero yelled back, holding onto Duo tighter, his eyes closed tight as tears continued running down his cheeks, "I've told them! I've told them everything! Everything about US, about the gundams!" "Who's they? OZ? You couldn't possibly have told them anything! Heero, you're too strong!" Duo said, trying to sound encouraging. "But I'm not," Heero mumbled back, "I'm not. I'm not strong. I…I…" Heero trailed off, exhausted from crying, his shudders weakening. "It's all right," Duo whispered gently as he used the same hand on Heero's shoulder to stroke his back. Eventually, Heero calmed down enough to speak again though he was utterly exhausted from crying. "It's all right," Duo assured him over and over again until Heero's grip on his shirt relaxed and he slumped forward against Duo's chest. Without a word, Duo turned and motioned towards the door. Quietly as they could, the others came in and helped Duo lift Heero back into bed. They had seen the entire thing (well, most of the important parts anyway), since they came running when Duo yelled. And they were quite shaken by all of it. The fact that the inhuman Heero Yuy had shown such strong emotion and actually shed tears was totally amazing. And it frightened most of them that the great pillar of strength Heero represented proved to be weaker than they thought. 

"Unbelievable," Quatre whispered as he looked down at Heero's tear-stained face, which even in sleep did not lose its pained expression, "to think that he had THAT kind of emotion all bottled up inside himself…" "Well, at least we got our answers," WuFei said, ignoring the sleeping Heero as best as he could. "Yes," Trowa replied as he pulled Heero's covers up to his chin, "but now a new problem has presented itself. What do we do about OZ and…what they've learned?" "I don't know," Quatre replied slowly, already thinking up possibilities, "Let's go. We can discuss this better somewhere else." Nodding, the other pilots headed for the door along with Quatre while Duo stood, staring down at Heero. "Duo?" Quatre asked, pausing at the door with one hand on the frame, "Duo, aren't you coming?" "Uh…yeah. Just give me a sec here. I want to make sure that he's all right and then…I'll be along." Duo answered from behind Heero's bed. Concern still dancing in his eyes, Quatre nodded and after glancing at Heero once more, he left. Looking back down at Heero, Duo waited for the door to click closed before looking up again. Heero would be fine, but Duo wished that he knew what to do about OZ. This was going to be a very tricky situation. "And it would be completely 'perfect' if Prof. G. were to call up right about now with another 'mission' for me," he mused aloud, looking over Heero's face. What to do, what to do? Sighing loudly, Duo pushed away from Heero's bed and started heading for the door, clicking the lights off as he went. "Stop…don't go," Heero whispered in a pleading tone from where he lay, "I don't want to be alone again…so soon." Surprised that Heero was even awake, Duo clicked the lights back on and turned to look back over to him. "Please?" Heero pleaded weakly, much like a child who is lost in the dark and doesn't want their only light to leave. Sighing again, Duo clicked the lights off and walked over. "Heero…I…" Duo found that he couldn't continue as Heero opened his eyes, red rimmed and swollen as they were, and looked up helplessly at him. "Please, Duo?" he asked, his voice just barely above a whisper this time. "Uh…I…I…okay. But just for tonight," Duo answered, pulling his shirt off and sliding in beside Heero. "I can't believe I'm doing this," Duo thought miserably to himself as he pulled the covers up over his waist. Still complaining mentally to himself, Duo snuggled a little further under the covers and then looked over briefly at Heero. He stopped dead in his tracks though when he found himself staring straight into Heero depthless blue eyes. "Thank you," Heero whispered, without looking away. "Uh…" was all Duo could say in reply, finding himself at a loss for words. But the look in Heero's eyes told him that he understood anyway. "Sure thing," he replied softly, reaching over and gently touching Heero's tear-stained cheek, "sure thing." And that was how Heero fell asleep. Warm, safe, and no longer alone.

*************************

He awoke the next morning, not to the sunshine and birdsong you'd expect after such a pleasant night, but to more of the same cold, gray rain. But it really didn't matter to Heero. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he had actually slept. Not the usual on guard, half-sleep that he normally got, but actual sweet and complete rest. And not only that, but he also awoke to a nice, warm bed this morning. Not a total surprise given the fact that Duo was lying right beside him, snoring softly. "Huh, he actually stayed?" Heero muttered incredulously as he pushed himself up on his elbow. But it wasn't his imagination, Duo was really there lying right next to him, hair all mussed up from sleep, mouth slightly parted, and curled up on his side, facing Heero. "I really can't believe he stayed!" Heero thought again, staring numbly at Duo's serene face. And as he did so, it hurt him to realize that it couldn't last. The peace…the utter peace he felt right now would have to be shattered so that Duo and the others could live. Today was the day that he left to correct his mistake. After two or three weeks abed (at least that he knew of-he had been unconscious for several others), Heero finally felt ready. Ready to go back and face OZ, face his fears, and…face Omar. But before he left, he had a few things he had to get. And first on the list were his clothes. Unfortunately, Heero had no clue where they were. Sighing annoyedly, he sat up and looked about him. He really didn't think that Quatre had brought his clothes in the room along with him, but it ended up that he had. Sitting up on top of a dresser on the far right wall was everything that he had been wearing when Duo had found him, right down to his boots and his gun holster. "Well, now at least they know where I keep my gun," Heero thought sarcastically, sliding out from under the covers and walking over to the dresser, "Hopefully this luck keeps up, anyway." Glancing over to make sure that Duo was still asleep, Heero quickly pulled Quatre's donated pants off and slipped into his tight, black shorts. It was an odd feeling after wearing something else for several weeks, but he was almost glad to have them back. Next came his gun holster (elastic of course), which he easily pulled over his head and around his waist. Then, he finished off by sliding his tank top on and stepping into his boots. "Hmmm…that's better," Heero mumbled, flexing his arms a bit. It was a great relief that he wasn't in the kind of pain that he had been before. Now, it was at least at a tolerable level (well, for him anyway). So, now he was ready at last. 

There was nothing else he needed in here so… Pausing briefly at the door, Heero turned back and looked at where Duo lay. Even as he watched, Duo made a small noise and rolled over on his stomach, one arm flopping over the side of the bed, his snores muffled by the pillow. Then, in the next instant, a double image, one from Heero's second dream returned to him. Duo laying face down on the floor of the gas chamber, blood pooling under him as his dead and lifeless eyes stared straight ahead. Blinking and then shaking his head, Heero turned and opened the door, whispering softly, "Duo…be safe…" The moment he crossed the threshold though, his customary mask of stony indifference settled over his face. After all, he was on a mission now and nothing would stand between him and his goal. Closing the door quietly behind him, Heero set off stealthily down the hall, wary of any other people moving about. Lucky for him, he had been to Quatre's mansion before so he knew the twisting maze of hallways pretty well. And he most certainly knew where the room he wanted was. "Let's see…it's in the west sing…four, five, six, doors down and…here it is," Heero thought to himself, finally reaching the right room. Pushing the door open, Heero cautiously stepped in and looked around. "Yes, this is it. One of my favorite rooms in all of Quatre's mansion," Heero thought with a malicious glee (though his face betrayed none of this). Silent as usual, Heero stepped out of the doorway and walked over to the left-side wall. This was Quatre's weapons room and here was where Heero was planning on picking up a few new "friends". Scrutinizing the weapons racked on the wall before him, Heero finally pulled down the two that he wanted. One was a black, sturdy looking pistol, which he casually slid into the holster around his waist. The other was a moderately sized combination between a machine gun and a rifle, which he just carried carefully in the crook of his arm. He would have preferred to have tested both, but that was out of the question so, he just had to judge them by size and looks. Having checked both to make sure they had bullets, Heero let the smallest hint of a smile creep onto his lips and left. "One more thing," Heero thought to himself, heading back down the hall the way he had come, "Transportation." But there was a minor problem with that. What could he possibly take that wasn't ancient and that wouldn't be missed immediately. Passing his own room once again, Heero's mind was kept elsewhere as he tried to come up with one possible vehicle that he knew he could take. So far, he could think of nothing. Well, there had been one thought that had crossed his mind. It would have been great if he could have taken his gundam or one of the others. But that was impossible with his gundam in OZ's control and taking one of the others would get him caught right away. So then, what could he take? The answer came to him quite simply when he finally reached Quatre's huge hangar where all their gundams and more could be stored. A single vehicle, very similar to a jeep, had been stuck off behind a hand full of other nicer vehicles. It had been unused for a very long time now, but it did have the one thing he needed. A key, seemingly forgotten, already lying in the ignition slot. "Hmm, it's got a key…looks functional…this looks like it," Heero decided, gripping the door. Uh oh, what if the door was locked? Ignoring this possibility, Heero just gritted his teeth and pulled. Thankfully, the door swung right open and in the next instant, Heero was pulling himself up into the driver's seat. Now comfortably in place (though his arm throbbed a little), Heero turned the ignition key. Sparing himself a moment of triumph as the engines roared to life, Heero then gripped the steering wheel and sped off. His destination wasn't far and soon, very soon, his mistake would be corrected. And he could rest again.

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::cha-chunk…vih vih- vih vih….vrrrooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…:: "Huh?" Duo mumbled groggily, dragging himself up from the depths of sleep when he heard the noises of a vehicle off in the distance. "Huh?" he repeated, pushing himself up on an elbow and looking around. Something seemed a little odd. This wasn't his room, that much he could tell right away. It was far too dim to be his room and the layout was all wrong. But then, where was he? It didn't seem like the time he'd gotten drunk at Releena's place and woke up in a different room but…maybe. He didn't think that was it though, as scattered bits of memory slowly began returning to him. "Wait, this…this is…Heero's room. Then…why am I…?" Duo wondered aloud, putting a hand to his head as he sat up. He could feel the makings of another perfect headache starting (he hadn't had his coffee yet, and it was even later than he usually woke). Then, just when he was about to give up and go get coffee, everything seemed to click into place. Images from the previous night flooded through Duo's mind all in the blink of an eye. Of Heero clinging to him, crying as he never had before, of Heero begging him to stay just a little while longer, and of him sliding in beside Heero. "So, that's how I ended in Heero's…Heero! Where is he!?" Duo thought frantically as he noticed that the other boy was no longer beside him. Surprise and disbelief jolting him completely awake, Duo quickly pushed the covers aside and hopped out of bed. Looking all over, Duo made an entire search of the room and found…nothing. The other boy was gone. To where, Duo had no clue. Then, an idea hit him that stopped him dead in his tracks, "Those engine noises! Heero!" It didn't take more than a second after that before he took off out the door, running down the length of the hall shouting for the others, "Guys! Guys! Where are you! Heero's gone!" "He's what?" Quatre asked sleepily from one of the doorways Duo had already passed. Back tracking, Duo rushed into the room and started waking the others, all the while yelling, "Heero's escaped! He's gone! He's escaped!" "Escaped? Wha' What are you talking about, Maxwell?" WuFei growled, pushing himself up out of the chair he had fallen asleep in. "He's…he's not in his room and I can't find him anywhere else! I just heard engine noises a minute ago and I think it was him! Now he's GONE!" Duo cried frantically, hands waving wildly in the air. Instead of listening though, WuFei just stared at him as though he'd gone crazy. The other pilots took Duo a little more seriously though and a top to bottom search of the mansion began. Duo didn't help though. And when the final answer returned that Heero must have really run away, Duo wasn't surprised. Because he had known from the very instant that he noticed Heero wasn't beside him that the other boy was gone. The only question was…to where?

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::tmp-tmp-tmp-tmp:: Heero's footsteps sounded softly as he made his way down the darkened hallway. He was currently within the very bowels of OZ's latest base of operations. And here was where the information he had given them was said to be stored. It wouldn't be here much longer if he had his was though. Directly upon leaving Quatre's mansion, he had driven like a madman to the closest airport. Once there, he had managed to bait an OZ soldier on duty out of the main crowd. And once they were out of sight he "asked" him where OZ's main store of information was. The answer was quickly obtained and Heero silenced the soldier just as quickly and was gone. So, now he'd had a destination. So, the next step was to hop aboard the cargo hold of one of the shuttles heading to the right colony and…wait. And after that, it had all just been a matter of finding the right building and getting in unnoticed. All in all, an easy job for Heero Yuy. So, the only things he had left to do now was to find the information files, destroy them, and…possibly return a favor to an old "friend". "It must be one of the rooms in this hall…there's more guards…less other people…one of these room's on the right…maybe this one…" Heero mused to himself before stopping at the chosen door and listening. When he didn't hear anything, Heero decided to risk it, pushed the door open and stepped in. The room itself was close enough to pitch black inside all except for a single red lamp lighting the far corner and that was it. "This…this is it. OZ's most important information files. Huh, why is it that I don't feel proud that our info is considered important," Heero muttered softly under his breath as he closed the door behind him, "Either way, let's see. Where are the gundam pilots files?" He searched for at least 20 minutes before he actually found them, looking in file cabinets, record books, and such. It ended up that the files were fairly brief and all had been saved on circular, CD shaped disks. Now to destroy them. And the answer for how to do that was simple enough. Bending over, Heero took one of the disks from its case and placed it on its side under his boot heel, preparing to crush it. That was when it hit him. From somewhere behind him, something hit him dead in the back and the next thing he knew, he was lying against the opposite wall on his side. "Sorry, Little One, but I can't let you do that," a frighteningly familiar voice chuckled from above Heero. Even as Heero started to push himself up, he stopped dead in his tracks, recognizing the voice for who it was, "OMAR!" Every inch of his being screamed out in that one instant as pure, unrestrained fear flooded through him and he shuddered from the force of it. "Heh, I see you remember me," Omar continued as he strolled over to where Heero lay trembling, "Here I thought you was dead when they wouldn't tell me what became of you." Omar's smirk evolved into one of his malicious grins as he said this. The same kind of grin he got that was so full of malice and delight at completely overpowering his victims. Upon noticing this, Heero shivered all the more, remembering one of those same grins turned towards him as he was sent sprawling on his back. "No! Not again! I…I won't be able to take it! CAN'T! NO!" Heero cried frantically in his mind, his body already curling in on itself. He thought he'd be ready to face Omar again. To look the big oaf in the face and then slam his fist right into it. But apparently, he wasn't as ready as he'd thought. And as he realized this, the terrible, all-consuming shame that had descended on him before returned, adding to his paralysis. And as he lay there, waiting for the pain to begin anew, Omar leaned down and chuckled, "How very fortunate for me. Here I thought I'd be bored, but now I guess not. How very fortunate, indeed."

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"Why don't you fight back, Little One?" Omar asked with false concern as he came over to where Heero lay. Heero just shook his head. After reclaiming the disks, Omar had dragged him off to the strange, remote room and had then proceeded to do what he did best (cause pain). "The disks?" Heero asked, looking up at Omar through swollen eyes and talking around an equally swollen lip. "Oh…these?" Omar asked slyly, reaching into his pants pocket and pulling the disks out, "You won't be needing these, Little One. Not where you're headed anyway." "No…give them back…must be…destroyed…" Heero answered, his voice sounding more like a croak as he strained to get back to his feet. "Go ahead," Omar coaxed, another one his hideous grins spreading on his face, "take them from me…if you can." Then, his grin changed again, this time becoming a devious little smile as he watched Heero stagger to his feet and come towards him. He was caught off guard in the next instant though as Heero lunged forward, ramming his fist into Omar's unprotected stomach. Making a rather odd "Oomph" noise, Omar stumbled backwards, the disks flying out of his hands. Without even pausing for a second, Heero turned around and dove for the disks. Landing stomach down on the ground, he just barely caught them. Not that it mattered if they broke, just so long as Omar didn't get them again. Grunting with the effort it took, Heero picked himself up off the ground and ran for the far corner of the room. The door was too far away just now but maybe, just maybe he could make it. If only he could get past Omar. Speaking of which, Omar was back completely on his feet and promptly came after Heero again. With his back against the wall, Heero brought his arms up into a guard position and did his best to defend both the disks and himself. But it wasn't enough and he was sent sprawling to the opposite end of the room by a powerful blow to the face. Pain shooting up and down his neck and back, Heero was surprised that his neck hadn't been broken as he just lay there, face down on the floor. It was also a wonder that the disks hadn't fallen from his hands. Growling and rubbing his stomach sullenly, Omar came slowly over to where Heero was. "You didn't die before…let's see if we can fix that, huh?" he said cockily. In response, Heero tried to shake his head and crawl away, but he was just too spent. Clenching his teeth, Heero clutched the disks tighter and tried to curl up in at least a semi-defensive position. Still growling under his breath, Omar bent over and quickly snatched the disks from Heero's hands. "Now," he said, sliding them back into his pocket, "let's finish this." Bending over again, Omar grabbed Heero by the collar of his tank top and hauled him up off the ground. "Good bye," he said simply, pulling back his fist to deliver the final blow. Closing his eyes, Heero let every muscle go slack and waited for the end, hoping it wouldn't be too painful. Then, just as Omar's fist began it's slow descent towards Heero's face, a black shape rushed up behind Omar and knocked Heero out of his grip. Not really sure what was going on, Heero braced himself as he was dropped to the ground like a useless sack of grain. Gasping from the tremendous pain and the overpowering fear he had just experienced, Heero just lay there as the sounds of fighting exploded above him. "Who…was that?" he wondered dazedly, as he fought off the pain and started to turn and look around. That was when he saw it. A flash of brown here, another flash of black and white there, a purple eye half closed as the figure blocked a blow. "DUO!" Heero's mind screamed in recognition, Where had Duo come from!? How had he found him!? There was NO WAY he could!? But he HAD!? HOW!? Heero watched in disbelief as Duo fought against his greatest fear…and was winning! 

Then, just as he thought Duo had Omar cornered, Omar struck out at him and sent him flying. Ignoring Duo for the moment, Omar then made a mad dash towards Heero. Crying out in surprise, Heero did his best to curl up, but it was too late. Omar slammed his fist right into Heero's abdomin with such force that Heero skidded back a few feet. As waves of intense pain washed over him, it was all Heero could do to keep his eyes open and focused on Duo. Speaking of which, Duo had just staggered back to his feet and was just now shouting curses at Omar strong enough to flay the edges off his non-existent hair. Heero was just relieved that Duo was okay, but unfortunately he was fighting a loosing battle for consciousness. So, just as Omar and Duo came at each other again, fists raised, Heero lost, sinking down into a pain filled oblivion. 

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When Heero finally returned to himself, he found Quatre at his shoulder, shaking him awake. The disks were in his hands. And…Omar and Duo were gone.

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New question peoples. Where'd Duo go? Off to fight Omar I guess. But will he ever return. Will Heero get to return the favor of saving him. Or will Duo be lost? Only YOU can decide. Actually, I'm just too lazy to pick one on my own and besides, I'm only continuing this fic because you guys liked it. Well… Okay, okay, I'll admit that I like it…but just a little! Anyways, the real reason is because I want what you guys want to happen. Did that make sense at all? Well, either way, go ahead and write me a review to send your opinion. If I get enough, I might even get started on parted three over winter break! 

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